Gun Dog Forum

Hey all, have an 8 month old GSP bitch, and wanting some advice on what the next few months of training should look like! I have homing pigeons, and bobwhite quail, so live birds are not an issue, also paired with 3 electronic launchers.

She is gun broke, and starting to scent point super well!, but she loves to creep! Once she moves I launch a pigeon and she does a short chase is this something I can continue to do and she will eventually learn to hold steady? Or what should I start training next on! I’ve heard several different things and just want to find out something that I can work on!!


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Pigeons and launchers, you're on the right track for sure. How much bird exposure ha she had?

IMO at 8 months old, pop the bird the second the pup moves after picking up scent and let them chase if they wish. She will make the association between her movement and the bird leaving pretty quickly. There's more work that can be done down the road but at 8 months, I wouldn't push it too far.

Good advice from ruffbrit. Also worth noting that if your dog is a house dog, there is a lot of mild (given her age) obedience work that will translate over to fieldwork. For example, you can put her on a whoa briefly before feeding her or before she goes outside. Every time. She won't -- and shouldn't-- be able to hold it for very long at her age, but it's a good thing to teach. Use a release word and don't let her go on her own.